Aubrey Huff admitted he sweated waiting to hear if he would be on the Division Series roster. The 2010 stalwart was ready to cheerlead but preferred to be manager Bruce Bochy's go-to pinch-hitter from the left side.

"I certainly wanted to be part of it," said Huff, who can thank the wonders of cortisone that he is. Bochy said Huff has run better on his damaged right knee since an injection 1o days ago.

"If he was hobbling, this would be a tough decision," Bochy said. "But he says he's doing better and he's proved it to us, so that's why he's on the roster right now."

If Huff could not run, the Giants might have been forced to put a dedicated pinch-runner on the roster. They did not, and Bochy said there might be instances when he will let Huff run the bases. If Bochy needs a faster runner, he can use Ryan Theriot or Joaquin Arias.

"I feel pretty good," Huff said. "I told them I'm not going to steal any bags, but when have I ever? I'm pretty confident if I hit a ball into the gap I can get to third."

Huff pinch-hit for Matt Cainin the fifth inning Saturday night and flied out to center field.

He's now a Baker's dozen: Darren Baker produced one of the most memorable moments of the 2002 World Series when J.T. Snow swept him up in his arms to avoid a home-plate collision during Game 5.

A decade after his turn in the spotlight, Dusty Baker's son is still too young to be a Major League Baseball batboy. After the near-collision, baseball instituted the "Darren Baker rule" requiring batboys to be at least 14.

"I just think they took it a little bit too far," the elder Baker said. "At that age, most young men and women either have their own games or they have lost interest in the game."

Darren, in full Reds uniform, hasn't lost interest in the game. He attends eighth grade in the Sacramento area and plays second base for a Livermore traveling team. But he doesn't want to be a batboy when he becomes eligible next year.

"Nope," said the most famous batboy in Giants history. Been there, done that.

Incomplete pass: It's not often that a starting NFL quarterback can escape team meetings the night before a game.

But Alex Smith managed to on Saturday. He came to AT&T, bounced his ceremonial first pitch in the dirt despite advice on grips from Willie Mays, and was eager to get back to his regular job.

"I'm disgusted with myself," he said of his errant pitch to Sergio Romo. But, he added, "it's a huge honor, especially for a postseason game."

Smith endeared himself to the Giants when he wore a black and orange Giants cap during postgame news conferences. He became a folk hero when he revealed that the NFL had fined him $30,000 for the dress code infraction, later rescinding it but issuing a stern warning.

The Giants responded by showing their own support: Bochy wore a 49ers cap to his pregame news conference one day, Ryan Theriot bought 49ers caps for his teammates, and Brian Wilson tweeted, "Alex, moonwalk your way down Market St. w/an SF hat & Lombardi trophy & i'll take care of the fines you rack up."